Time–Space Analysis of Transport Infrastructures: A Pilot Study of Shibuya-Type Crossings for Signalized Intersections in Developing Cities

Cities are growing larger, and congestion is becoming a major issue. Walking is increasingly becoming an important mode of transport in developing cities. One of the reasons for the high death toll is the lack of pedestrian facilities at transport infrastructures such as signalized intersections, where a conflict arises between vehicles turning right and pedestrians crossing at different speeds. This conflict, known as the vehicle–pedestrian conflict (in right-driving jurisdictions), occurs when the green light for vehicles is shared with the green pedestrian light. Additionally, if the intersection is congested due to high pedestrian flow, vehicles will turn right only during the yellow light, trying to find a gap in the pedestrian flow. As a result, delays increase for both pedestrians and vehicles, reducing the intersection’s capacity. To reduce the vehicle–pedestrian conflict, various pedestrian facilities can be implemented, such as Shibuya-type crossings, which include an exclusive pedestrian phase and diagonal crossing. When applying this type of solution, vehicle delays are reduced up to 81% on average, increasing the efficiency and safety of the space used at the intersection. However, pedestrian delays might increase up to 5 times, due to the need to wait for the third exclusive phase for them to cross the intersection in all directions. The method is applied in a case of study in Valparaiso, Chile, and therefore can be expanded in further research to other developing cities in Chile and specifically Latin America.